Music-recorder



P. l. MEAHI..

MUSIC RECORDER.

APPLICATION HLEUMAR. 27. 1919.

1 3 5 1 ,432, Patented Aug. v31, 1920.

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ArroR/vfr P. '1. MEAHL. muslo RECORDER. APPLICATION FILED MARi 27,4919.

1,351,432. f mallteam. 31,1926@e 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2*.

W/ .55 l l/vI/ENoR t M5 @7W M I v P. J.\ MEAHL. MUSICRECORDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27,1919.

1,351,432. l Patentmug. 31,1920.

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,uNirEjDsrArss PHILIP J. iviEAHL, or sUiyiivII'r, NEW JEItsEY.

Musicmnconnnn.

i To @ZZ whom t mag/concern.'

V2o*l ing vthe operation of themachiiie. l/Vhen a .Be it known that I, PHILIP J. MEAHL, a citizen oill the United States, residing at Summit, in the county of Union and State'- of vNew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Record'-V ers, of which the following is a specificaf tion. My invention relates to'i'a'pparatus for recording music on paper rolls by' punching holes or slits in the paper at appropriately spaced intervals, the perforated paper rolls beingadapted for use in piano players and the like a well known manner.` My present invention constitutes an 'improvementon the type of apparatus disclosed in my" n Patent No.1654,473, July 24, 1900, in which a plurality'of horizontally arranged levers havepunches secured thereto and are con# stantly vibrated in the horizontal plane durf Y note'is to be recorded as upon 'the striking shifted position.

o'fav key ofa piano, the ulcrumof the lever,

which is properlyy positioned for the recording 'of that particular note is shifted downwardly to a slight extent. v This causes the punchv belongingl to that lever toperforate thepapertduring' its rapid upland-down.

movements,"so longv as the lever is heldin its to the" devices which cause vtheirfconst'ant vibration. I haveovercome this difficulty byfa construction which a rigid connec tion with the vibrating meansi's eliminated and a sliding or loose connection is substithe,rapid-QTGCpTOCQCOHJOf the ptleil '16,"V

tuted.' "Because of this `arrangement the horizontal levers areei'i'a'bled to adjust thernselves'slightly' in relation to their vactuatingv devices, and to 'thereby enable Vthe punches ,without binding.y

The objects ,of my'r'inventionv are to im! "prove the construction of lapparatus lotffthe,

character referred toV inwtheA manner dei scribed above, and. tol provide other im# proved detailsoflrconstru'ction and combina-- l Y tions of parts'wherebyf the eliciency, relial bility `'and accessibility)ofthe machine willA be increased. j Y M u y A' difficulty' which has beenencountered in the use off-this type of 'p device consists inthe l fact` that the punches tendV tobindin their guides and to strike again'stfthe edges of they die openings below the paper, 'becanse'of the fact that ',the'levers'V are connected by rigid pivotal connectionsV `Appimatifm inea March 27, i919Tv seiai Nojesaiaef tratiiig onel embodiment ofrmy-inventionl e0 In the drawings Figure 1 represents a front elevation of Yan. apparatus constructed inl accordance ywith my invention,- certain partsv being shown broken away. and certaink parts;v

beingomitted for the sakeof clearness; 65,

Fig. 2lis a3 vertical section taken on' vline` 2-2 of Fig. 1, a connection with ai piano keybeiiig also indicated; Fig. 3)y is aV partial vside elevationof themachine 'showing the y `paperfeed drive ;V and Fig. 4 is a perspectivevo y view-'showing one` of Vthe-'operating levers:l

and its co-actirig parts'.

Referring to the drawings the apparatus provided with a frame 1 having side por'-k tions 2, 2, and 'horizontal upper and lower 75 ,cross portionsyS .and "4. A supplemental f frame having side portions 5, 5, is secured A uponthe frameflu as by 'providingy the :side Y portions 2,V 2, of'ffr'ame'lwith 'a suitableplu# -ralityfo'f lugs 6, 6, upon which rrest llu-gsrgo 7, 7, which "eXten'd n outwardly* from thej frame members', gatheselugsbeing secured .togetheriby'bolts 8 eXtendingthrOugh theAV same. n,

4ln the'form` of construction lillustrated 'a' S5 -motor`9 ismoiinted onthe A"cross portionf4 y of frame lfthismotor` driving a pulley v10';` -by-means of abelt 11,` pulley 10 being mounted ori-oneend'f'of thevr stud.y shaft '12,

bers"5,-r5. 1 i "Rotating with"pulley"'10 is a spurgear 13" Vwhichvrotates two spur gears 14"14, whichv e 'f 16.," These 1 pitmen lare. p iv'otally connected atjtheir' lower ends by pins 17,17, to a pair f of horizontalfbars or members 18,'V 18, which l extend-ingparallel vrelation'across thefma- 100l Y Y chine and :are slidablyfmounted invertical Y slideways #in the;upright'.,ramefsiiiembersAv l The-fm'embers 18 a'rethus'given acon-Nj' tinuous rapid upeand-down /movement joifL aV neared, extent daring` the dpemnon, uie-io51 The-punches Y n l their upper,` endsv to; levers 20, 20; each ol:

1.9,are pivotally'connectedgatf the machine.

v pivotally connected attheir lower ends to Y irame member 26.

nected at one end to a vertical member21, members 21 being slidably mounted in gu1ding slots 22 which are arranged vertically in horizontal retaining bars 23, 23, which are mounted on the frame at opposite sidesv of The vertical members 21 are the actuating levers 24, each of Ywhich is pivotally mounted, as shown at 25, to a Springs 27 are each secured at one endto an outer or free end of a lever 24 and at their opposite ends to the frame members 26, so that the inner ends o' levers 24 and also the outer ends of the levers 20 are normally held in ak'raised posi-k tion.

The rapidly reciprocating members 18 are. provided with a number of slots 28,28 (best. shown in Fio's. 2 and 4), one for eachfof Vthe. Vlevers, 20. lhe ends of levers .20 opposite from their pivotalconnections with vertical members 21 are provided withrounded enlargements 29 which are slidably positioned withinthese Ahorizontal slots ,28.` Members 18 and levers'20 arer balanced against overthrow by springs 3 0, 30, which are mounted between the lower surfaces oit' members 18 Y and lugs 31, 31, formed on frame members 5,

and springs 32, 32, which are positioned between the upper surfaces of members 18 and` lugs V33, 33, on frame members 5, 5. Punches 19 are slidably mounted in vertical 'open1v ings 34 which extend through guide. member 35., The punches are adapted to enter suit- 'i able openings in the die-plate 36 overwhich the paper roll passes, vthese openings being in alinement with the guide openings 34.`

Y The levers 20 are preferably arrangedjteextend from opposite sides of, ther apparatus,

as is shown, for thesake of compactness. A suitable number otthese levers and connected parts may be employed, such for er;n

ample as 44 levers 20, on'each side.. Solong as no piano key 1s depressed the actuating levers 24 remain in their upper positionsy with the pivotal connections 37 between le1 Y vers 20 landvertical members 21 acting as lined fulcrums from which levers 20 osciljlate. VThe opposite endsof levers 2O being rapidly reciprccated by theirconnections with members 18, the punches, 19 will be given' up-,and-vdown movements insulcient infextent tov cause theV punches to touchthe paper whichrunsover die 3.6.V When, however, levers 24 aredepresseduponjthe actuation Yof piano keys, the, correspondingful# crumsj37 will be shiftedV or ldepressed to a ysulicient extenttocause the' corresponding'.v punches to penetrate the paper andenter the openings in die 36 so long as the piano key orkeys are depressed;

.n Win` tailored that thesiidingi come@ y tionsbetween the ends 29 Aof levers20 land members, 18 permit the vfree Imovementk or" punches 19 in their guides without crampingv or getting out of alinement. This/vis be-` cause the ends 29 of levers 20 move slightly secured to amember 44 which isl partially cylindrical', but is provided with a plane upper surface upon which the sector 43 is secured; Member 44 is also provided'witli a plane lower surface which is securedupona bracket 45, which has two side portions 46 to which the guide member 35 is secured. The' latter is shown'as consisting of two horizon-vY tal portions which are spaced apart'` and se! cured together at oppositeends by spacing blocks (not shown).

One of the eccentric shafts 15is provided Y with `a spur gear 47 which meshes" witha spur gear48,which turns freely on one fend A bevel gear f of' the statienary spindle 12.

49 rotates with gearj 48 'andlmesh'es wthfaV bevel gear 5o on theend 'of @entre iwhicn 53L which rotates a worm wheel 54-on the end of va shajft 55, a bracket 56 `being*rprov'ideil 'issupported byabracket The 'opposite" j Y end of this s'haft'is` providedwifth a'woi'n` t p to support the lower end of shaft 51. o Shaft? i.

55 extends throughA the` center of the;drum1 Y 44 which carries thesector'43and'dieuf` shaft 55e being provided at, opposite endso'i'f drum 44 with apair of feedfrwheels 57,157.

well known manner.` The take-up roll 41 is These lare'A provided with pr'o'ec'tions 758 Y which are adapted to enter per orations inthe paperfstrip38, to feed thelatterin'the y Y n s ,110' rotated from shaft-55 by a chain :connecttion ,60.` The,take-up roll 41 is adaptedto be removed whenfilled by removal from' itsf 'i bearings in theusual mannen! v V,The actuating levers'24 maybe operated by any desired means upon the yoperation of the piano keys`- YA pneumatic actuation is illustrated. `The bellows 61, 61, oneioreach lever 24, are conne'ctedto levers 24 'by/rods f l12o Y 62,'62. The actuating bellows 6 1may be operated by means of the pumping/bellows?. .1 62 illustrated, as operated from Ilfnotor.l 9.

Theactuation'fofafpiano keyindicated at i f 63fserves to depress av dowel Ypin-64 and thereby depress the valve u65 andfopen the passage66from the bellows 61 fwhich belongsy toi that particular piano`key. The. collapse of the bellows draws the inner endf4 of 'the corresponding .lever 24 downwardly and holds the same depressed so lon'gas the Latinas I piano lrey isfdepressed.Y A quick depression `and rise-ofthe piano key will result in the production of a smallihole'in the Ypaper by the corresponding punch 19, while holding the key 63 depressed for-a longerperiod will result in the production ofan oblong'V slot in the papen'because of the continuous of the same; by. theV rapid perforation punch 19,

The guideways for' the vertical members i 21, formed by'vslots 22 in bars Y23, are completed by the plates or gates 67ywhichare secured in position` against the outersurfaces of bars 23 to closeythe outer endsl of:

extend and in Vwhich the pivot pins 68 are mounted. Members 21.are preferably formed with slots in their. sides,v :adjacent their lower ends, in which pins-'68 engage tof form the pivotalconnection, gate 67,when mounted in position, serving to holdmembers 21 in vertical :position so that pins 68l will press .against theinner ends of these slots. lVhen it is desired to remove alever 2O and its punch 19 for inspection or repair, it is only necessary to unscrew the" gate 67, swing the vertical member 21 upwardly between the arms 69 of lever 24, vertical members 21 swinging clear of pivot pins 68, and then lift the lever 20 so that its punch 149 will rise out of its guide, the lever 2O swinging about its rounded end 29 in slot 28 until the punch 19 is free from its guide. It will be noted that the fulcrums 37 of levers 20 can only move in a straight vertical line in operation, because of the sliding engagement of vertical connections 21 in retaining bar 23.

The guide member 35 is preferably secured to the upper ends of the side members 46 of bracket 45 by means of vertical screws (not shown). It is an advantage of my construction that the upper part of the apparatus maybe removed as a unit from the lower part by unscrewing the bolts which extend through lugs -6 and 7 on frame members 2 and A5. Vhen this is done the screws, just referred to, which hold guide member 35 to bracket members .46 are first unscrewed. After this a pairrof clamping screws 70, 70, which may be loosely mounted in the frame members 5,V 5, are screwed into position to clamp guide member 35 to the frame members 5, 5.V Thereupon, after unscrewing the bolts 8 which extend through lugs 6 and 7 and removing the pivot pins 68 which connect vertical members 21 with actuating levers 24, the upper structure may be removed as a unit with all ofthe levers 20, guide members 35, punches 19, and vertical members 21, mounted in position.

It willbe notedthat'the drivinglmechanism forthe paper feed loperates', vfrom one i of the eccentric shafts 1,5, so tha'tja constant ratio willobtain between they rate ofpunch@ 'l reciprocation and theV rate. of paper4 feed.

Because of` this it follows that the punches f reciprocate the saine numberv of times per inch of paper feed, Y*regarCllessV o f any changes in thespeedof the motorI orsource of power which. I' Consider a highly-desirable eect. v l. e

itwiii be Obvious 'alamy inventions nef strictlylimited tothe exact .details of construction described,wbutA is ,as-broad as is iii-.,- l I dicatedrby the 'accompanying' Clam .What I claim is i l. In a. music recorder, the combiii'ation-VH of a pluralityof levers-punches pivotally connected with saidlevers'to-eXtend at Ian' .angle thereto, meansv constituting fulcrumsf;

for said levers, guidesv for ,said vpunches,Y

means arranged to constantly oscillatesaid v levers about their fulcrum's, said meanshav.- i 'v ing loose connections with said leversjat;

points distant from said' fulcrums permittingthe levers to have endwise play in re-f* spect t0 said means, andl means forzshifting any desired one ofsaid levers when a note@ is'to be recorded; v f

2, In `a music recorder, the combination.

of a plurality of levers, punches pivotally.

Connected with said levers yto extend at an.

angle thereto, means vvconstituting fulcruinsl `for said levers, guides for said punches, vreciprocating means slidably connected with.v v said levers at points distant from said fulcrums forv imparting oscillation to sea-'idf lej vers about their fulcrums, and means for' r 'shifting a desired one of said levers when a .165,

note is to be recorded.y i Y 3. In a music recorder, the combinationof Y nected with said levers to extend at an angle thereto, means constituting ffulcrums' for,

la plurality of levers, punches pivotally conably engage, means for imparting reciprocaj A tion to said member, and means for shifting a desired one of said levers when anote is to be recorded, Y' l 1v v 4. In a'music recorder, the combination of a plurality of horizontally mountedl'e-V vers, vertical members pivoted thereto to Yconstitute fulcrums therefor,- guides 'in which said members'are slidablvmounted,

punches pivoted to said levers tovhang verti'- cally therefrom, means slidablyconnectedV with said levers at pointsdistant from' said .fulcrums for imparting oscillation to said levers about their fulcrums, and jmeans for 'lowering a desired one of saidvertical memf' 1 bers in its guide when'a note'. is to be rei 5 corded, y e 5. In a music recorder, the combination 13oy j i Y of a plurality of horiontally mounted lefrom, guides ior Vsaid-punches, means ioilowering a desired one of said vertical members in its slideway `when -a notev is to Vbe recorded, and means removably connected with s aid levers at' points distant from their iulcrums forV imparting oscillation thereto.

6. In a music recorder, the vcombination of a plurality oi' horizontally mounted -levers, vertical members pivoted thereto lto constitute fulcrum's therefor, 'a guide member `formed in two sections, constituting s lideways for said vertical: members, one of Y said` sections,y being @removable froml theV other to permit-said vertical members tofbe swung upwardly about their pivots, punches pivoted to saidv levers to hang -verticallyi therefrom, means arranged to oscillate said levers, and means i'or'lowering thel fulcrums of said levers when desired, comprising levers pivotally connected with the lower ends 'of said vertical members, the' pivotal con nections being arranged to permit the ready separation vof said vertical members from` saidlast named levers. Y Y

7. Inaymusic recorder, the combination of a frame, Va dieand means for feeding a paper strip oversaid die, Acarried'bysaid irame,a second frame removably Vcarried by'- `said first frame, a plurality oflevers, punches of a plurality-'of horizontally mounted levers, punches carried thereby, vertical pitmen and a bar carried thereby arranged toV impart oscillation to said; levers, a frame, having lugs above and below Vsaid bar, and springsbetween said bar and lugs.

'This specicati'on signed and witnessed this 24th day of March, 1919. Y' I 'v PHILIP J. MEAHL. Witnessesz f Y DYERl SMITH, Y I. MoINTosH'. 

